Man cleaning operations require use of a scrubbing-type device. Such operations range from household chores such as dishwashing, appliance cleaning and structural cleaning and scrubbing, and the like, to industrial cleaning jobs such as cleaning the outside of a building, cleaning large equipment, and the like, which may require abrasive and caustic chemicals. The operations can range from cleaning and scrubbing to complex operations involving cleaning, scrubbing and soaping steps.
Many various implements have been proposed to expedite such operations, These implements have included scouring brushes, scrub brushes, dust mops, and the like, and many such devices have included handles so the user need not directly contact the cleaning material or the article being cleaned. Use of a handle has several advantages, especially if the cleaning procedure or material may expose the user to harsh, abrasive or dangerous chemicals or materials.
While effective, many of these handled implements have had problems that have inhibited their full commercial acceptance. For example, once the device is used, it may become soiled and thus onerous to store and/or use again, especially in the case where dangerous or harsh chemicals are used. After a certain number of uses, the cleaning element of the device may have to be discarded. Discarding an entire cleaning implement can be expensive, thereby placing such implements at a commercial disadvantage with respect to other items on the market.
Another problem with many of these known devices is the difficulty associated with the manipulation thereof, and many users often wear some sort of protective gloves, thus exacerbating any manipulative difficulties of the device.
While devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,810,150, 3,306,647, 4,466,152, and the like, alleviate the aforementioned economic drawbacks associated with discarding the entire device by using a detachable handle with a cleaning device, such devices still do not alleviate the above-mentioned manipulative problems. In fact, such devices may tend to worsen such manipulative problems because they often use a difficult-to-use release mechanism.
Still further, many of these devices have the handle release mechanism and the device elements associated with such release mechanism located where it is subject to contact with the cleaning material and/or with the surface being cleaned. Such contact may damage or clog the mechanism thereby making it even more difficult to operate, if not totally disabling it. Such contact may also tend to jam the device thereby inhibiting the handle-releasing action of the device, even if the release mechanism is not totally disabled.
Still further, some of the detachable handle devices have complicated release mechanisms thereby increasing the cost thereof and vitiating any advantages achieved by the re-usable nature of the handle.
Many of the detachable handle devices also have a release mechanism that tends to degrade after many uses thereby necessitating the purchase of an entirely new device. This, again, vitiates the economic advantages obtained by the re-usable design. The release mechanism may not be totally secure to begin with, and if degraded, creates further problems such as accidental separation of the handle from the head.
Most cleaning and/or scrubbing elements can become worn after use so a device on which such elements are mounted should be amenable to use in several different orientations if full use of the cleaning element is to be made. Multi-orientation use will permit the device to be re-oriented to use a new part of the cleaning element as one part becomes worn. However, the handle of most known handle-detachable devices can only be attached to the head in one orientation with respect to the head unit on which the cleaning element is mounted. This requires the handle to be universally grippable. That is, the device must be amenable to being grasped and used in any manner. This is generally achieved using a symmetrically consistent handle, such as a cylindrical rod or the like.
While this requirement may seem innocuous, it presents a drawback, especially if the cleaning implement should by shaped to provide comfort as well as efficient force application and secure gripping. While a cylindrical rod may be satisfactory for some purposes, it may not be amenable to an extremely secure grip without added elements, such as finger grips or the like. However, such finger-grip elements cannot be added to known devices for the just-stated reasons since they will be out of position, and can, in fact, be a hinderance, in some situations.
Therefore, there is a need for a hand-holdable tool having a reusable handle that is detachably connected to a head unit in a manner that is reliable, universal, easily manipulated and long-lived, yet is still economical to manufacture and use.